A power supply, e.g. a power supply for light bulb assemblies, should exhibit short start-up times, in order to allow for a quick start-up of the device coupled to the power supply, e.g. of the light bulb assembly. Such a power supply may be configured to convert electrical energy from a mains supply to electrical energy at a pre-determined voltage level. The power supply should be configured to bridge brief interruptions of the mains supply, in order to prevent any interruptions of the energy supplied to the device coupled to the power supply. By way of example, in case of a light bulb assembly, a brief interruption of the electrical energy may cause an undesirable visible interruption of the light emitted by the light bulb assembly.
A possible way of enabling the power supply to bridge brief interruptions of the mains supply could be to use capacitors with a high capacitance for providing a supply voltage to integrated circuits of the power supply. However, the use of capacitors having a high capacitance typically leads to increased start-up times of the power supply which is not desirable. Furthermore, additional start-up transistors may be used within the power supply. However, such start-up transistors lead to additional components for the power supply, thereby increasing the cost of the power supply.
The present document addresses the above mentioned technical problem and describes a driver circuit and/or power supply which allows for short start-up times and prolonged bridging of interruptions of the mains supply at reduced implementation costs.